Delaware students will not owe application fees at six state institutions, which addresses a barrier to college entry

Wilmington, DE – Continuing the state’s commitment to increasing access to post-secondary education and training, Governor Markell, the University of Delaware, and Delaware State University have announced that the schools will waive their college application fees for Delaware’s high school seniors when they apply during College Application Month (CAM), which runs now through November 21, 2014. All students who are residents of the state are eligible for the waiver from UD and DSU.

The Universities join Delaware Tech and Wilmington University, which have for the past two years waived fees for Delaware students who attend schools that participate in CAM. All public high schools will hold CAM activities over the next month. Among other Delaware institutions, students can also apply to Wesley College and Goldey-Beacom College without charge, meaning no Delaware seniors will owe application fees to six of the state’s colleges and universities during College Application Month.

“I applaud our colleges and universities for working to make their admissions process as accessible and encouraging to our students as possible,” said Markell. “With goods jobs increasingly requiring education or training beyond high school, addressing obstacles to a college education is vital to supporting our students and strengthening our state, where our economy’s growth depends on having a highly-skilled workforce.

“Financial concerns too often discourage students from college and the state is working to make sure our youth are aware of scholarships, grants, and other financial aid opportunities. But students can’t take advantage of those if they never apply, so I’m thrilled that our schools are sending this welcoming message to all Delaware students.”

The Governor has made it a priority to remove financial and other barriers for students who wish to attend college. A partnership with the College Board, launched last year and continuing this fall, provides college-ready seniors with information on college affordability and financial aid, as well as materials to help them choose colleges. Low-income students receive application-fee waivers, which have traditionally been complicated to obtain, for up to eight schools.

School Comments

“As the state flagship, the University of Delaware takes great pride in providing access to the extraordinary, life changing experiences provided through scholarship at our campus,” said Jose Aviles, Director of Admissions at the University of Delaware. “We recognize the great challenges in increasing college participation rates across Delaware and are pleased to join the state’s efforts. We continue to work toward removing barriers so that Delawareans can realize their dream of a higher education at UD.”

“We are pleased to be able to assist students as they take this initial step toward attaining a college degree by removing financial barriers that may come with submitting the admissions application,” said Erin Hill, assistant vice president for enrollment at Delaware State University. “Every state must play an active role in increasing its proportion of college graduates to ensure our nation’s competitiveness in a global marketplace. This focused effort in Delaware to create a college-going culture moves us toward that goal.”

“We fully support College Application Month by providing volunteers in the schools to assist students with the application process and allowing all Delaware high school seniors the ability to apply to the college with no application fee,” said Dr. Mark Brainard, president of Delaware Technical Community College. “This is one way Delaware Tech can remove the barriers to access for students who dream of attending college.”

“Wilmington University’s long history of providing opportunity to anyone seeking an advanced degree has been in lock-step with Governor Markell’s vision for educating Delaware’s workforce,” said Wilmington University President Dr. Jack Varsalona. Wilmingtonwaives the application fee for prospective students, which they can experience at the school’s October 22 open house event at locations statewide, in addition to ongoing online and face-to-face information events.

Further information on College Application Month

To receive a fee waiver when applying to the University of Delaware, students should select “Yes, I participated in the UD Senior Search Program” on the Common Application. As long as they submit their application during the Delaware CAM time frame, the University will honor the fee waiver if they select it. Counselors do not need to provide any additional verification for this waiver.

For Delaware State, once a student completes the application at www.desu.edu/apply-now, they should select “Request a Fee Waiver” on the Submit and Pay screen.  The University will not require further documentation for the fee waiver during College Application Month period.

As part of College Application Month, which began this week, students in every high school will have the opportunity fill out their applications in computer labs and write college application essays during English class. Volunteers from employers and college campuses throughout the state are assisting students. Another part of the effort, in partnership with Stand By Me, assists families with filling out the FAFSA form, individual school aid forms, and scholarship applications.

Last year, for the first time on record, every college-ready student in Delaware who was on track to graduate from high school applied. In previous years, as many as one out of five did not.

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